Military Honours.

martinn123

Guy's well done for the honours extended to former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, today

I have to say however, I was disappointed by the Ear Muffs, worn by the Firing Party.

Now I don't want to reopen any debate regarding deafness etc, but it really looked bad on the TV.

Have we ever seen this honour extended, by soldiers wearing ear protection?

afatbollix

Nothing is worth going deaf for!


Also you will see armies all over the world using ear muffs.

Frosty McSnowballs

That's just the way it is OP.

Mearings

I think it would look better if officers wore a long sleeved shirt whilst raising the sword.
Btw I have never been in the military.

martinn123

afatbollix wrote: »

Nothing is worth going deaf for!


Also you will see armies all over the world using ear muffs.

Roller Pig wrote:

That's just the way it is OP.

Well no actually, if you do a YouTube search you will find Video's from Arlington, where a squad, unfortunately due this duty regurarly, (I won't post a link, as I do not wish to offend)

Surely something more discrete, would do the job.
The pictures went on the News, and the Ear Muffs looked industrial.

Frosty McSnowballs

martinn123 wrote: »

Well no actually, if you do a YouTube search you will find Video's from Arlington, where a squad, unfortunately due this duty regurarly, (I won't post a link, as I do not wish to offend)

Surely something more discrete, would do the job.
The pictures went on the News, and the Ear Muffs looked industrial.

Well we not in Arlington cemetery. Yes you could use inner ear protection but S.O.P's require the firing party to wear peltor ear protection.

So yes, that is Infact "just the way it is". I agree it looks terrible but if that's all that was wrong with the day then so be it.

gizmo555

Roller Pig wrote: »

Well we not in Arlington cemetery. Yes you could use inner ear protection but S.O.P's require the firing party to wear peltor ear protection.

Then the S.O.P.s should be changed. It would have been better not to bother with a firing party at all than to send them looking like that.

Frosty McSnowballs

gizmo555 wrote: »

Then the S.O.P.s should be changed. It would have been better not to bother with a firing party at all than to send them looking like that.

Riiiiiiight. That's not going to happen.

martinn123

Roller Pig wrote: »

Well we not in Arlington cemetery. Yes you could use inner ear protection but S.O.P's require the firing party to wear peltor ear protection.

So yes, that is Infact "just the way it is". I agree it looks terrible but if that's all that was wrong with the day then so be it.

Thanks for agreeing it looks terrible, it's only written down because someone wrote it that way, not because it's right.

We know the background, and reason, but a Military Honour is very much a visual thing, especially in such a high profile event.

Someone needs to " google " discrete ear protection.

schtinggg

I wonder if there was a big box of ear muffs that everyone could help themselves to- or was it just the guys in uniform with the big scary guns?

Stovepipe

I don't know why they give a Military funeral to a civilian politician, at all. There was no need for firearms at a funeral for a man who pushed on the peace process in NI. In fact, If I was in charge, the only soldier in uniform present would be the ADC to the current President, if at all.

regards
Stovepipe

Five Lamps

Stovepipe wrote: »

I don't know why they give a Military funeral to a civilian politician, at all. There was no need for firearms at a funeral for a man who pushed on the peace process in NI. In fact, If I was in charge, the only soldier in uniform present would be the ADC to the current President, if at all.

regards
Stovepipe

Ironic alright. Can you have a state funeral without a firing party? It seems that state funerals are effectively military ones?